Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella ended his post-game press conference on Thursday night with a bold statement regarding 19-year-old rookie Matvei Michkov. “I think he missed two or three rotations, and we put him back out there,” the NHL bench boss said. “That’s the way it’s going to be. He may miss games. Who knows? I don’t know what’s going to happen. But that’s part of the development of a 19-year-old kid.”
Michkov watches on as Flyers pick up a spooky win
Matvei Michkov had a ghostly performance in the 2-1 Flyers win over the St. Louis Blues on Halloween Night. The Russian winger skated a season-low 13:56 in ice time in the victory following some missed shifts in the first period. Michkov turned the puck over twice early against the Blues adding to an already sour 3:18 ratio between taking the puck away from the opponent (3) and turning it over (18) to them early this season.
Owen Tippett skated alongside linemates Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny in Michkov’s place following some 5-on-5 defensive miscues for the young Flyers forward. It is simply part of the growing pains for a teenage forward transitioning from KHL to the NHL.
“He’s a 19-year-old kid playing in the best hockey league in the world,” Tortorella responded to a question about the first-period benching. “I think he’s beginning to see what the National Hockey League is, as far as the speed, as far as time and space, all the things that come with it. There are going to be major struggles within 5-on-5. We expect that.”
The 66-year-old head coach also said he’s been very candid with Michkov about the teaching process with the Flyers. Tortorella won’t be hooting and hollering on the bench, instead, it will be a more subtle approach impacting available ice time for Michkov. “He’s going to miss some ice,” Tortorella said. “He’s gonna watch the game. It’s not me screaming at him. It’s telling him how this works.
And if I think other guys are going and you’re struggling in certain situations and it’s repetitive, you’re gonna have to sit and watch for a period. That’s all it was… And just like any other young player, or any other player in that room, he’s going to be held accountable as we go through these games, and we’ll see where it goes.”
It is not all bad news from the Flyers’ coach regarding his newest offensive talent this season. Despite some recent struggles, John Tortorella has been happy with the Power Play and Michkov’s comfortable level with time and space to operate. It’s the even-strength game that will take some time for Michkov to develop the knowledge base for what his coaching staff wants him to do in game situations. “He’s a great kid,” Tortorella responded to the question on how Michkov handled less ice time. “He wants to do so well, but it’s a lot. It’s a lot for him.”
Despite the post-game criticism from his head coach, Matvei Michkov has had a sensational start to his rookie NHL campaign. On Friday afternoon, the NHL announced Michkov as October’s NHL Rookie of the Month. In his first 11 NHL games, Michkov scored nine points in four games and five assists. The majority of Michkov’s points have come with the man advantage with six points representing 66% of his offensive output this year.
Michkov’s -5 rating speaks to the 5-on-5 struggles that John Tortorella has witnessed. It will be a consistent battle for the head coach to educate his young winger on the defensive side of the puck while still allowing Matvei Michkov to unleash the offensive talents that make him a unique player in a competitive NHL landscape.
Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
